JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jurors chose life over death in the case of a man who murdered the daughter of a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officer.
Eric Jackson was convicted last month of killing the mother of his two children, Nekecheana Phillips. Today, the jury chose a sentence of life in prison.
Before deliberations, jurors heard an emotional plea for mercy from Jackson's defense.
In her closing arguments, attorney Ann Finnell told jurors there was no question that Eric Jackson suffered from schizophrenia and delusional disorder, calling him “a good person whose mind let him down.” And she reminded jurors that he will die in prison whether he is given life or death.
“Mercy is not something that a person earns. It’s not something a person deserves,” Finnell told jurors, her voice welling with emotion. “I am here to ask you for mercy for Eric Jackson. I ask you to let him live until God says he should die.”
The defense team grabbed tissues and wiped tears after jurors left the room.
In his closing argument, Prosecutor Alan Mizrahi urged jurors to vote for death, saying the crime “was the worst of the worst” for those involved.
Phillips' father, Ernest Martin Jr., gave his own emotional testimony Wednesday, in a victim impact statement. Though now retired, he recalled getting hearing the crime go out over police radio.
“As I was racing to Nene’s home after hearing the call go out on my police radio… all I could think about was that this could not be happing to our family," he said. "The pain was too real, too sharp, and too permanent. No amount of police work could have prepared me for losing my precious Nene.”
The jury began deliberating at 12:20 p.m.